Police have charged the former caretaker chairman for Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State, Haruna Musa with four counts of criminal breach of trust among others over the abduction of 344 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara last December.
Details emerged on Tuesday that Mr Musa is being remanded at a Katsina correctional centre.
The charges filed against him include criminal breach of trust by an agent; inciting disturbance; aiding and abetment of armed robbery; kidnapping and terrorism.
According to the police’s first information report containing the charges, Musa was arrested on February 3 based on credible intelligence on his alleged links with bandits over the abductions.
Police further alleged in the FIR that, “On January 30, 2021, at about 0800 hours as a member of Katsina State Fulani/farmers reconciliation committee entrusted with the mandate of negotiating between bandits/kidnappers/robbers in Katsina State, you breached the trust by deliberately using your Samsung GSM Phone with MTN Number:08032981919 in calling one well known armed bandits’ commander residing in Zamfara forest, Zamfara State who masterminded the kidnapping of the students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, sometime in December 2020, instigating him with unverified information regarding the release of said students.
“As a result of this information to the commander of the armed bandits by you, he informed his gang who are now rising against the government and people of Katsina State, threatening to continue terrorizing them for the money to be released to them. All these are contrary to sections 298,78 and 47 of the penal code law of Katsina State, 2019.”
Police prosecutors on Monday during arraignment at the Chief Magistrate Court pleaded for adjournment to conduct more investigation.
Chief Magistrate Aminat Ibrahim granted the request and adjourned the case till March 25, 2021, for mention.
